Barry De Vorzon
| Barry De Vorzon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born |
July 31, 1934 New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | Film score, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, singer, songwriter |
Barry De Vorzon (born July 31, 1934, New York City) is an American singer, songwriter, producer, and composer. His earliest hit compositions were "Just Married" (1958), written with Al Allen[1] and recorded by Marty Robbins, which reached number twenty-six on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart and number one on the Country chart;[2] and "Dreamin'" (1960), written with Ted Ellis,[3] recorded by Johnny Burnette, and charting at number eleven on the Hot 100.[4] Dorsey Burnette (whom he was managing) and De Vorzon co-wrote several of Dorsey's hits ("Hey, Little One"; "Big Rock Candy Mountain"; "Red Roses"; "Noah's Ark").
De Vorzon founded Valiant Records in 1960.[5] During the 1960s he signed the Association to Valiant, and produced its first single, a cover of the Bob Dylan tune "One Too Many Mornings."
De Vorzon wrote "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" for the Cascades, but the group did not record it. In 1963, De Vorzon recorded the song himself, with his group Barry and the Tamerlanes. Also in 1963 he co-wrote the ballad "Shy Girl" which was recorded by the Cascades.
He composed the soundtracks to many 1970s and 1980s films, and one of the tunes, "Cotton's Dream" (from Bless the Beasts and Children) was retitled "Nadia's Theme" and re-released by A&M Records for the television soap opera The Young and the Restless. "Nadia's Theme" hit #8 on the US Top 40 in 1976 and the album from which it was taken peaked at #42 on the Billboard 200; in 1977, it won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. The main title song, "Bless the Beasts and Children," was recorded by the Carpenters and received an Academy Award nomination.
De Vorzon also composed the tune "It's Christmas Once Again in Santa Barbara," which was re-recorded with various other city names, such as San Francisco and San Diego. He also wrote the "Theme from S.W.A.T.", and co-wrote the Eagles' hit "In the City" with Joe Walsh. In 1979 he wrote the music for the movie The Warriors.
He is also one of the developers of the MasterWriter creative software for songwriters and lyricists.[6]
Awards and nominations
- Won the 1978 Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement, for "Nadia's Theme (The Young and the Restless)".
- Nominated for a 1972 Academy Award for "Bless the Beasts and Children".[7]
- Won six Emmys.[7]
- Received several other nominations.[7]
Soundtracks
- R. P. M. (1970) (with Perry Botkin, Jr.)
- Bless the Beasts and Children (1971)
- Dillinger (1973)
- Cooley High (1975)
- Hard Times (1975)
- S.W.A.T. (1975)
- Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)
- Rolling Thunder (1977)
- The Ninth Configuration (1978)
- The Warriors (1979)
- Private Benjamin (1980)
- The Comeback Kid (1980)
- Xanadu (1980)
- Simon & Simon (1981)
- Tattoo (1981)
- Looker (1981)
- Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again (1982)
- Mr. Mom (1983)
- V: The Final Battle (1984)
- Mischief (1985)
- Stick (1985)
- Night of the Creeps (1986)
- The Exorcist III (1990)
References
- ↑ "Just Married", BMI work number 788447, writer credits at BMI Repertoire database, retrieved January 2, 2016
- ↑ Marty Robbins: Billboard chart placings at AllMusic.com, retrieved January 2, 2016
- ↑ "Dreamin'", BMI work number 342471, writer credits at BMI Repertoire database, retrieved January 2, 2016
- ↑ Johnny Burnette: Billboard chart placings at AllMusic.com, retrieved January 2, 2016
- ↑ "Valiant Label Discography - USA - 45cat". www.45cat.com. Retrieved 2016-04-18.
- ↑ "MasterWriter About Us page". About us. Archived from the original on December 23, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2016.
- 1 2 3 aboutus Archived December 23, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.. masterwriter. Retrieved on 2012-04-10.
External links
- Barry De Vorzon at the Internet Movie Database
- Barry De Vorzon at Allmusic.com